It was hard - unfairly hard, unbelievably hard - not to stare at Celestia's cleavage.

Twilight quickly looked back to her salad, her cheeks colouring slightly, then glanced up. Celestia was looking at her expectantly, and a horrible realisation swept over her. She'd missed a question! With a slight stammer, she managed, "I - I'm sorry, Celestia, could you say that again?"

The Princess of the Sun smiled, leaning forward slightly. Her dress was made of many small, overlapping pieces of delicate silk, falling in layers down to her feet. The low-cut bodice exposed an amount of her milk-white breasts that was almost unsuitable for royalty - not that anypony would dare say so - and it was quite unfair how elegantly she carried it off. "I was asking how your spell research has fared, Twilight. I know you haven't slept well of late. And not just because you have spent so much time occupied with those you've dominated."

There had to be a spell to stop herself blushing. "Um, yes. Yes, Trixie and I have been working on a generic spell energy reservoir that can easily be incorporated into other spells, so it's easier for me to cast. But I'm beginning to think that if I worked harder on controlling the outflow, so I could use spells properly again, it'd be more efficient in the end. Altering every spell I know to include a soaking effect would take forever."

"Is there any spell you're working on in particular?" Celestia lifted a forkful of leaves and lightly sauced vegetables to her lips, then clicked her tongue in mild disapproval as some of it slid off. A broad lettuce leaf fell into her cleavage, and a smear of tomato struck the upper slope of her left breast. Moving with delicacy, she picked the leaf out from between her breasts and slipped it between her lips, then wiped off the fragment of tomato with one slim finger and licked it clean.

"I... yes," Twilight mumbled, unable to look away. Her skin felt hot, prickly. Celestia's finger slid between her own soft, warm lips, and Twilight caught a flicker of the other mare's pink tongue as she lapped up the last of the tomato's juices from the backs of her fingers. It wasn't fair.

Celestia's gaze met Twilight's, a gleam of playful teasing in her luminous eyes. "Are you having trouble concentrating, Empress?"

She was being toyed with. Again. Looking back at Celestia, Twilight replied with a smile, "You are terrible. Obey your Empress."

Celestia blinked slowly, and just like that, the mischievous animation was replaced by smooth blankness. Her hand slowly sank down to rest against the table, still holding her fork. "This slave obeys," she responded in a tone of utterly serene compliance.

Twilight nodded, and looked down at herself. She wore a neat blouse, in a shade of berry-purple, that was buttoned up entirely too high for what she now intended. Nimbly, she loosened the top two buttons and drew it open, exposing a slice of her soft lavender cleavage. Much better. "Celestia, each time you look at my chest, you're going to say... boobs. Or other words that mean the same thing. You'll be aware you're speaking involuntarily. This command will end when I tell you that the game is finished, and you won't remember being charmed. I am satisfied."

The Princess had barely begun to recite Twilight's words back to her when the final command struck home, and she sagged slightly. A brief flash of disorientation passed over her face before it erased itself, and she recovered her poise.

Now, what had they been saying? "The charm is the one I'm working on right now, for obvious reasons," Twilight resumed.

"Indulge me, Twilight. What would those reasons be?"

Blinking, not expecting to be challenged on the point, Twilight hesitated for a moment. "I... might need it. In case something happens, to Equestria. And there's all the ponies that the charm has touched. What if I had to... if there was some kind of mistake, and ponies found out, and I had to do something about it..."

She trailed off, and frowned. Now that she said it out loud, none of that sounded convincing at all.

"Should the charm be your first resort in defending Equestria, Twilight? Do you need it at all? You don't need it to control any of the ponies you've enslaved; you can dominate them with a well chosen word. Myself included. Its only purpose is to bring even more ponies under your control." Celestia paused, then went on, "It brings you a sense of security, Twilight, to know that anypony you upset, any mistake you make, can be wiped away with the charm. I am happy for you to command the power of the charm, but you should do so knowing your own motives."

Put that way, it was hard for Twilight to argue. This wasn't about threats to the country. This was about the strange, unsettling sense that knowing she couldn't cast the charm gave her, like realising she'd drifted out over deep water and couldn't reach the bottom anymore.

Celestia's eyes were gentle, though she continued inexorably, "If you needed access to the charm, Twilight, there are other ponies who know it. Myself. My sister. You could order either of us to remember it and use it on your behalf. You've let yourself forget that, because if you cannot cast the charm personally, then those that are charmed aren't yours."

Twilight looked down, a flash of oddly intense shame passing over her. She'd known all along how seductive, how powerful the spell was, but she'd been lying to herself about why she needed it. She'd let the charm become a psychological crutch. As for the orders she'd just given Celestia, it was obvious she was only embarrassing herself. Clearly the Princess was above such petty things as staring down Twilight's top. She sighed deeply.

"Tits."

Twilight looked up. There was an odd look on Celestia's face, her composure failing to entirely cover a flash of bafflement. It was surprisingly endearing.

Unable to entirely suppress a giggle, Twilight put on a serious expression. Celestia did it too! With that realisation lightening her spirit, she found it easier to confess, "I think you're right. I should have been able to come up with a better justification than that. It does bother me not to have it, even if I wasn't going to use it."

"Weren't you, Twilight? Now that it's out of your reach, it should be much boobs to refrain from temptation." Again, there was a little pause as she realised something she'd said was not what she'd intended to say. "Twilight-"

Fully aware that her poker face had nothing on Celestia's, Twilight looked back at her innocently. "Is there a problem, Princess?" Now Celestia couldn't say anything, or she'd lose. Twilight leaned forward, tilting her head back to let Celestia glance down her blouse more easily.

"Of jugs not, Empress." Celestia's eyelids flickered, and then she deliberately raised her head, holding Twilight's gaze without looking away. "I would imagine that there would be difficulty in testing the charm, even if you believed you'd made it safe."

She's worked it out. That was a little disappointing - she'd hoped it would have taken longer. "Yes, I haven't really figured out how to be sure it's safe. I don't know what an overloaded version of the charm would do, but given the power it has to alter the minds of ponies so easily, I'd be afraid of causing harm. That's another reason why I want to get my surges under control, so I can rely on my magic again. It's really bothered me not to be able to use all the small spells I'd gotten used to."

"Is that why you haven't pierced my nipples yet, Empress?"

Twilight felt her cheeks flush pink, and caught herself too late to avoid the instinctive glance down at Celestia's body. A point to the Princess. "What do you mean?" she asked quickly.

"You'd like me to tell you the answer?" Celestia asked innocently, though the smile on her lips grew slightly wider. Not giving Twilight time to react to the devastating blow, she continued, "You wished to decorate my nipples with golden rings. To mark my body, and show that you own it. To use them to tease me, any time you desire. You wished to do the same to my sister, in silver. We would make a wonderful matched pair. Have you set your heart on charming whoever is to carry it out?"

Celestia's fingers described small circles across her chest, drawing the ghost of each ring over the subtle bumps of her nipples through the delicate, clinging silk. It was utterly impossible not to be drawn to the movement of her hands, and all the while, Celestia's gaze didn't waver from Twilight's face.

Twilight knew she was losing, and she refused to lose. Just undoing another button wouldn't be enough; she had to catch Celestia's eye with something more dramatic. Reaching out to her cutlery, she replied, "Giving you and Luna twin piercings is kind of a strange request, don't you think? I was worried that whoever did the piercings would... well, talk about it."

If Rarity could see her right now, Twilight knew she'd never be forgiven. But this blouse wasn't one Rarity had made, and though it was a shameful thought, as a Princess, Twilight could certainly afford to have it fixed later. Trying to maintain a completely innocent expression, she eased the knife up to the underside of a button, and flicked her wrist. The button flew free, her blouse sliding open a little more.

"Twilight, everypony is going to jugs talking about it."

"What was that, Celestia? Are you having trouble concentrating?" Twilight eased the knife a little lower, and flicked off another button. Her blouse was hanging loosely now, exposing a wedge of her delicate white bra and her smooth cleavage. Yes. She could be sexy too, and she could make Celestia want to look at her.

She really wanted Celestia to want to look at her.

"...everypony will notice, Twilight. The rings will be impossible to hide for long, and the smallest change to my routine is the talk of Canterlot. Especially if the details seem salacious, whether true or not. A few months ago, a rumour spread that one of my favourite couches had been intimately stained, and it simply would not die away until I removed the furniture entirely."

Twilight winced slightly before she could stop herself. Of course, Celestia probably didn't know Rarity's quick thinking was behind that rumour, but she couldn't quite contain the guilty reflex anyway. "I, um, imagine that made it hard to find somewhere for it to go."

"I've had it placed in storage until this rumour is forgotten. Though there have been several attempts to bribe servants to retrieve it. Lavish bribes. If you were to start a few more rumours of that kind, the castle could have an auction, Empress Titties."

The idea of Celestia presiding over an official collection of Princess-stained furniture was too bizarre to process. Choosing to move on, Twilight asked slowly, "What will ponies do, if they hear about this? I don't want to give any clues that might give away the charm."

"I imagine there will be several new piercings among the noble classes as a result, hooters."

Twilight shivered. Something about that idea struck a chord deep within her. All the noble ladies of Canterlot, noticing the new piercings amongst the Princesses and dutifully going off to decorate their own breasts with pretty rings. All decorating themselves, unknowingly, for her. Sometimes she forgot just how much power she held over Equestria, in the most subtle of ways as well as the most obvious.

Still, Celestia's 'slips' were becoming a little too well timed. "Princess, did you just call me-"

"Is there a problem with the way I address you, my faithful binyas? I view your incredible titties with the greatest respect and admiration. Since you defeated me with your remarkable grasp of my melons, I will address your regal boobs any way you desire." Celestia's expression was perfectly serene as she spoke, her eyes deliberately flicking down to Twilight's chest and back up with the enviably precise timing needed to punctuate the sentence perfectly.

"...binyas?" Twilight asked resignedly.

"They were a pastry, popular six centuries ago, with gently sloping curves and a cherry at the summit."

"Oh. Historically educational." Twilight pulled a face at Celestia, then shook her head and smiled. "The game is finished - you win. I'll investigate whether there are any trustworthy ponies that could do it, and try not to let anypony know who the clients are until one is chosen. I'll keep this close to my chest," she added in a feeble little joke, and gestured at her open blouse.

Celestia smiled to herself. "I hope our guest appreciates your chest as much as I do."

Uh-oh. Twilight's ears pricked up. The look on her mentor's face was her most unruffled, the perfect serenity of a mare that absolutely should not be trusted. In a tone of mild accusation, Twilight said, "You're not smirking."

"Oh?"

"You only not-smirk this loudly when you're going to spring something on me," replied Twilight, giving Celestia a stern look.

"Oh, Twilight, you know me so well. I received a message this morning; one of the guests for your coronation will be arriving soon. A Princess." Celestia's eyes sparkled, her lips curving up at the edges. "Can you guess which?"

Twilight blinked. A Princess? "She's going to be a bit late, isn't she?" she answered aloud, while wracking her memory for who might be so far behind schedule. Of course, there was someone she could think of that might turn up weeks late, who had a long way to travel through difficult terrain... "Not one of the princesses of Yakistan?" Twilight added reluctantly. Anypony but those yaks again.

Celestia's impish little smile widened. "No, I'm afraid this is a different Princess. It's partly my fault, for not extending the invitation to her father sooner. I found it was more difficult than I remembered to send a message to him; apparently, messengers are reluctant to enter his lands."

Male ruler. Dangerous land. Considerable distance. Celestia hadn't been there in some time. The tumblers were still spinning in Twilight's thoughts when Celestia added lightly, "Dragon Lord Torch has sent his daughter, Princess Ember, to convey his regards."

"A dragon?" Twilight squeaked, hearing her voice break in surprise. "A full-grown adult dragon?" She had to study it! -or, well, her. She had to study her, and ask her questions, and find out about the dragon culture, and what was she going to eat, and how was she going to fit into the palace, and was it Twilight's job to figure that out?

"It's been many years since I last visited Torch, but he was kind enough to notify me when his daughter was born. I believe he sent a message along the lines of..." Celestia frowned slightly in an effort of recollection, then continued smoothly, "'One of these days, me and my new daughter are going to burn that tiny Kingdom of yours to the ground and roost in the ashes.' That would have been around the time Granny Smith was born, I believe."

Eyes widening, Twilight looked up at Celestia in dismay. "He threatened you?"

"Torch does like his little jokes," Celestia replied lightly. "I do hope his daughter has inherited his vivid sense of humour."

Twilight's smile was fixed. She couldn't help remembering the slumbering dragon in the great cave above Ponyville, a vast creature whose smoke threatened to blot out the sun for hundreds of miles. She had to entertain something like that?

"I am going to need some really, really big cucumber sandwiches," she muttered half to herself, then looked accusingly at Celestia. "What date is she arriving? Will she arrive here before the festival?"

"Oh, yes. She should be here in less than an hour."

Twilight's left ear twitched, her face frozen in a disbelieving smile. "Less than an hour... a week from now?"

"Less than an hour, today."

"Oh." Twilight took a deep breath, and stood up. She stared at Celestia, searching for meaning in the mischievous little curl to her lip, and the amusement dancing in her eyes. "Princess, you're... teasing me, aren't you."

"Oh, yes." Celestia watched Twilight begin to sag in relief, and added lightly, "Though it's true, as well."

Twilight's mouth opened and closed. She pointed a finger at Celestia speechlessly, then finally managed in a tone of dire threat, "The reddest ass!" Tugging her blouse together with her hands, she turned and ran from the room, her footsteps echoing on the marble.

"Promises, promises," murmured Celestia to the empty room.

"-and please confirm the marquee has been set up in the courtyard!"

"Yes, Princess!"

The maid bowed hastily and backed away, her lips moving as she tried to keep the list straight in her head, and Trixie stepped up to replace her.

"The efficient and obedient Trixie has succeeded in her task! The store rooms are being ransacked for a meal fit for a dragon. Both for food, and gemstones."

"And-"

"And she has also asked for servants to be sent out into Canterlot to secure additional supplies. They accepted that Trixie spoke with your name. Trixie is so important!" Trixie's eyes sparkled. "How are the other preparations, magnificent Mistress?"

Twilight dragged her fingers through her mane, then shook her head. "This is no good; I look like a haystack. I have a hairbrush - please brush my tail. Is my neckline straight?" She plucked at her delicate blue dress nervously, a floor-length gown, modestly cut.

"Yes, Mistress!" Trixie replied with a flash of delight, and scooped up the hairbrush within a nimbus of pale magic. Levitating it into her hand, she took Twilight's tail in one hand and began smoothly running the brush down it in the other, unable to suppress her smile at being able to do something so intimately caring for her owner. "Trixie thinks you look beautiful, Mistress, and perfectly able to face down some sluggish, over-fed scaly idiot that can't even show the respect to show up on time."

Ambassador Trixie strikes again. "Trixie, don't say anything rude to her while she's here. Contact between Equestria and the Dragon Lands is very, very rare, and if this goes well, we might be able to establish more permanent relations. Imagine it! An embassy in the Dragon Lands! The things we could learn! The books we could write! All the things we could teach each other! This could be wonderful! ...but only if this goes well. It has to go well," she concluded abruptly, as the weight of her responsibilities crashed down on her once more.

Wincing as Trixie's brushing found a knot, Twilight went on, "Obviously she won't be able to stay in the castle, but I've had the Grand Marquee set up and there's a treasure bed being put together from the treasury, and decorative hangings, and - and I've had to ask Celestia for her guards, to guard it all. I've arranged a meeting with the architects later to work out whether there's a large hall we can expose to the outside by breaking down walls, and they're extracting the original architectural drawings from the archives."

Reaching back, Twilight gently took the hairbrush from Trixie's fingers, then absent-mindedly levitated it up in a magical grip to sweep the stripes of colour through her mane into neat order. "If we really work hard, there might be time to-"

A deep, subsonic boom rolled through the castle, vibrating in the stone under Twilight's feet. The hairbrush shot sideways with tremendous force as Twilight lost her grip on the magic, vanishing through an open doorway. A second later, something smashed in the distance.

"She's here!" Twilight wailed, and instantly broke into a flat-out sprint towards the source of the sound. Pushing through the milling guards and servants rather than wait for them to recognise her, Twilight dashed down the corridor and up a flight of steps, Trixie panting for breath behind her. Erupting out onto a broad, semi-circular balcony, Twilight looked up and around herself, trying to catch sight of where the dragon had come to land.

It took a second to register the fact that Princess Celestia was sat calmly in the centre of the balcony, at a little wrought iron table, a teacup steaming before her. "Good afternoon, Twilight. Trixie. Was there something the matter?"

"...dragon," replied Twilight weakly, looking up and around herself once more in a futile hunt for the all-encompassing wings. "She's here. Heard her land."

Celestia's snow-white brows arched in a perfect simulation of polite interest, and then she smiled. "Oh, I see. The sound just now. I'm afraid that wasn't Princess Ember, Twilight." Celestia brought her cup to her lips and sipped, nodding to a small silver spoon on the floor. "I dropped my teaspoon."

The enormity of the lie left Twilight breathless, and she heard herself emit a strangled little squeak. "Princess." Beside her, Trixie burst out, "The slutty and submissive Trixie definitely felt the whole castle shake-"

Celestia bent down, and retrieved her spoon. With perfect composure, she lifted the teaspoon into the air between finger and thumb, and with her eyes on Twilight, let go.

A second heavy, rumbling thud vibrated the rock under Twilight's feet, startling a flock of birds back into the air.

Twilight's mouth dropped open, and she pointed at Celestia, then the spoon, then Celestia again. "What. You. I've never - there isn't a spell for - did you research a spell just to mess with - did you create a spell just to mess with me? Did you research and create a spell and make an enchanted object out of a teaspoon just to mess with me? When did you have time?"

With a serene smile, Celestia replied smoothly, "This is an old spell, Twilight. It has very limited uses. I happened to remember it this morning, and thought it would be useful for spell practice."

Twilight gave her mentor a flat stare. "You needed spell practice."

"I suggested it to another pony who is a little more rusty than I am." Celestia looked over to the doorway.

"Twilight! Hast thou been trying my thunder-spoon? Is it not perfect?" Luna trotted out into the sunlight, a delighted smile on her face. Clad in a neat, formal waistcoat and a white shirt over long pants, she cut a surprisingly dashing figure. Her crown rested atop her billowing mane of stars and darkness, gleaming in the sunlight like a silver supernova.

"I - yes! Yes, it's so impressive. It really sounds like - like something the size of a really big dragon is hitting the ground," Twilight replied weakly. How did Celestia - even the timing of Luna's entrance was just... unfair!

Luna took two quick steps forward and hugged Twilight tightly, lifting her off her feet. Joy in her voice, she exclaimed, "That was exactly the kind of impact my sister suggested that I should aim for! You recognised it!" Setting Twilight down, Luna abruptly stepped back, coughing, and added in a more restrained tone, "I apologise for grasping thee without warning, my Mistress."

"You can always hug me, Luna. You're my very special pony," Twilight told her warmly, aware of Trixie immediately going green with jealousy beside her. "In fact, you can do it again, if you like," she added more softly, and let herself be swept up in Luna's arms again. The tall mare's body really did feel so warm and reassuring against her, and when Trixie hugged her tightly from behind, Twilight didn't feel like protesting. Surrounded by warmth, Luna nuzzling her head, she slowly relaxed from her fever-pitch of nervous anticipation. Her head settled against Luna's shoulder.

"You wanted to do spell practice?" Twilight asked eventually, looking up at her.

The imposing mare coloured slightly, purple shades marking her dark blue cheeks, and she glanced aside as she murmured, "Some of the aspects of that spell are quite delicate. I am out of practice at such subtleties."

I wanted to impress you and make you proud of me. The unspoken words were far louder than anything Luna had said aloud. "I'm very impressed. I'd like it very much if you could teach it to me, later," Twilight replied affectionately.

"And Trixie," the showmare added quickly.

Luna's eyes sparkled, and she hugged Twilight more tightly, squeezing a quiet 'erk' out of her. "Truly? Truly, you would like me to teach you? It would mean so much to me to be able to help you! I hope that it has always been clear that I would be willing to help in thy research in any capacity I might be useful, even if it is simply to fetch and carry."

"That sounds wonderful," Twilight said softly, "I'd really enjoy it if you could spend more time with me."

A swell of emotion filled Twilight's chest and sprinkled her stomach with butterflies as she gazed into Luna's eyes, seeing there all the joy and love and tentative uncertainty that the regal pony often struggled to put into words. Luna was one of the sweetest mares in all Equestria, and Twilight was the luckiest mare alive to have her. She was beautiful, incomparable. Magnificent. Warm.

Moving slowly, Twilight lifted a hand to stroke the back of Luna's neck, and gently guided her head down towards Twilight's own. Their lips met, stroking and caressing, and Twilight lost herself in the divine happiness of their kiss. "Luna..." Twilight sighed longingly into the other mare's mouth. Sounds seemed far-off and unimportant, and when a new voice spoke from behind her, she barely heard a word, wrapped up in a private world of her own.

"...arrived."

Arrived? Twilight reluctantly broke the kiss, holding Luna tightly against her, and looked over at the speaker. He was a guard, dark grey, with a cobalt blue mane that was probably dyed. "Um, could you say that again, please?" Twilight asked distractedly. Arrival. She'd been thinking about something to do with an arrival.

The guard drew himself up to even more rigidly formal attention, as appropriate for a palace guard finding two of the Royal Princesses locked in a steamy, hot-mouthed embrace, while another watched approvingly. "Your pardon, Princess! A guest, Princess Ember, Ambassador from Dragon King Torch, has arrived!"

Realisation crashed home. "She's here?" yelped Twilight.

"Uh - yes, Princess!"

"Where is she?"

"Outside the main hall, Princess!" he managed, leaning backwards slightly from Twilight.

"I wasn't ready! We're late! This is terrible! I - everypony, quickly!"

Pulling herself free from the double embrace of Luna and Trixie, Twilight dove through the double doors, and pelted down the corridor. Flashing past startled courtiers, her thoughts a continuous drumroll of panic, Twilight didn't pause to look back until she finally slapped open the double doors leading into the main audience hall, breathing heavily, and entered on wobbly legs.

The great hall was the largest chamber in the castle, a vast space where the twin thrones of Luna and Celestia stood, overlooking the courtiers and petitioners. Celestia hated it for the distance it implied, and Twilight had steadfastly refused to allow there to be a third throne added. An arched pair of huge double doors half-way down one wall led to the broad courtyard outside, where the marquee was - hopefully! - erected. There was no sign of the dragon through the arched windows, though... was she still outside? Surely she couldn't have left already...

"Has she - been waiting long?" Twilight panted. Straightening up, she hurriedly combed her fingers through her mane again.

"You're the new Princess of Magic, right?"

Twilight turned. There was a golden-armoured figure standing before the twin thrones, a little taller than Twilight. She was a shimmering aqua blue, broad, leathery wings folded against her back, and a long, scaly tail with a deeper blue tip coiled behind her. Matching dark blue spikes crowned her head like a spiky mohawk, above red eyes with slit pupils. Horns curved downwards, echoing her jawline, and her feet ended in broad, clawed toes.

She was definitely, without question, a dragon. Judging by the round curves of her, well, breastplate, she was definitely female, too.

"Mammalian features? But-" Twilight cut herself off abruptly, a crimson blush spreading across her face. This was not the time for that kind of question. Also, Ember was - she was - she wasn't huge! She wasn't so big she couldn't fit through the doors! But Celestia had said...

Celestia hadn't actually said anything about Ember's size. Had she.

It was getting difficult to keep track of all the different things Celestia was going to have to be punished for.

"I - I am Princess Twilight Sparkle! Princess of Magic. Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Ember."

The golden armoured figure straightened, spread her wings for effect, and launched into an obviously prepared speech. "I, Princess Ember, Ambassador of the great and powerful Dragon Lord Torch, have come to offer a token of our interest in the ascension of a new power."

Do not snigger. If you snigger, there might be a war. Really, it wasn't Ember's fault that Trixie had said those words so many times no pony could take them seriously anymore. Composed face, composed face.

"I'm honoured that you came all the way from the Dragon Lands to meet me, Princess Ember." Or should she have said Ambassador? She needed being-a-Princess lessons! "We're very happy to welcome you to Canterlot, and we'll do all we can to make your stay comfortable. There are so many things I'd like to talk to you about!"

"Uh- sure. I'm sure you've got all sorts of cuddly pony customs to share," Ember replied awkwardly.

Twilight blinked, then studied the dragon's unfamiliar face. Ember really didn't seem to think that might have given offence. What kind of ideas did they have about Equestria in the Dragon Lands, anyway? Opening her mouth to reply, she was preempted by the door opening once more.

Celestia entered, at a calm, regal pace, followed by Princess Luna. Trixie tagged along behind them, looking a little sheepish and guilty at having let Twilight run off without her. Moving to Twilight's side, Celestia greeted, "Welcome to Canterlot, Princess Ember. I am Celestia, Princess of the Sun. You are welcome in these lands, for as long as you wish."

Ember instinctively stiffened her posture as Celestia's royal presence washed over her, Twilight noticed with a hint of envy, then the dragon paused.

...she's not sure whether to give her speech again or not. Oh dear.

Smoothly, Celestia broke the flicker of awkwardness. "I would like to introduce you to my sister, Luna, Princess of the Moon, as well as Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic, whom you have already met. It's been a long time since I had the pleasure of speaking with Dragon Lord Torch. Is he well?"

Ember nodded to Luna, who bowed slightly in return, and replied after an instant's hesitation, "Dragon Lord Torch rules over a vast and prosperous land, Princess. He is in great good health, and conveys his regards."

Celestia smiled. "That is a wonderful sentiment. And what did he really say?"

Twilight's mouth dropped open in shock. You couldn't talk like that to an ambassador! What was Celestia doing?

Ember looked exactly as taken aback as Twilight. Stumbling for a moment, she visibly took refuge in honesty. "My father said to tell you that he still intends to light your pretty mane on fire like a match head."

Celestia giggled, covering her mouth with one slim hand. Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Princess Ember, would you convey to your father, the Dragon Lord Torch, that I have always been charmed by his boldness, and that I will kick him in the snout should he try."

...this wasn't how you negotiated with the representative of a whole race! Was it? Was this really - maybe she needed those being a Princess lessons more than she'd have ever believed possible. But on the other hand... Ember looked as taken aback by Celestia's casually teasing words as Twilight was, and Celestia was watching the dragon react. Twilight was suddenly certain that absolutely every flicker of expression on Ember's face was being filed away somewhere, awaiting the day that the Princess's relentlessly sharp mind would find it useful.

"We have had a suite put aside for your stay, Princess Ember," Celestia resumed smoothly, as though she hadn't just threatened to kick a head of state in the face, "and there will be a banquet this evening. We would be honoured if you would join us. Chert and Birch will show you to your rooms; and if you require anything, please let them know."

Celestia lifted a hand and beckoned slightly. Two golden armoured ponies approached, a pure white male pegasus and a dappled brown female earth pony, saluting Ember respectfully. "I'll... see you later then. Okay."

"Until later, Princess Ember," replied Luna in her most formal voice.

Twilight stayed very still as Ember was led out of the chamber, then stepped close to Celestia. Luna moved a little closer, and Trixie broke free of the wall where she'd been impatiently waiting and rushed over to Twilight's side.

"Chert," Twilight declared flatly. There were a lot of points to get through, so she might as well tackle them systematically.

Filled with calm innocence, Celestia replied, "Is there a problem with his presence, Twilight?"

"After you had me-" Twilight cut herself off as she realised that both Luna and Trixie were looking at her curiously, and furthermore, she was in the middle of a large, very public room where a loud voice would be overhead. Lowering her voice abruptly, she hissed, "-never mind! Fine. Chert. But - Celestia, you threatened the Dragon Lord!"

"He threatened me first," Celestia pointed out.

Faced with the entirely unfair reasonableness of this objection, Twilight's mouth opened and closed. "Ember was being diplomatic, and you said-"

"I know Dragon Lord Torch well, Twilight. It's been some time since we spoke, but time matters less to beings like him and I." Celestia smiled, and shook her head. "We had a quite wonderful fight, once. He respects that, and so, he respects our border. One day, I may have to have a similar battle with Princess Ember, when she succeeds him. Or perhaps you will take up that particular role, Twilight. I'd quite enjoy watching that."

"The rulership of dragons is not hereditary," pointed out Luna.

"No, it's not," agreed Celestia calmly. "I doubt that will matter. A child of Torch would have to have fallen far from the tree indeed not to have inherited his determination."

"Princess!" protested Twilight again, squaring her shoulders. "What about this suite that you sent Ember to? You knew she was - was going to be tiny! Pony-size! I spent the entire afternoon trying to get everything ready for her, and now I'll have to take the marquee down and put all the treasure away, and - and the castle is going to have enough fresh food to feed the country for a week! You even - the spoon, Princess Celestia!"

"Twilight. How could I possibly stop you? You seemed to be having so much fun." Celestia looked at her soulfully. "I'm not completely heartless, Empress Titties."

Lost for words, Twilight stared at Celestia.

Celestia reached out and gently closed her open mouth with one finger. "A Princess should be seen to be elegant at all times, my faithful student. Not, for instance, like a bewildered goldfish."

A wordless exhalation of outrage escaped Twilight's barely parted lips like steam. Language was no longer capable of conveying her indignation, and so she gave Celestia a look that, if there had been any justice in the world, would have pinned her to the wall.

Instead, Luna failed to entirely hide a snigger, despite strenuous effort.

Twilight's gaze swung to her, and Twilight felt gratified that at least Luna had the common dignity to look abruptly intimidated. "Princess Celestia," Twilight said in a calm voice, "you're being difficult. I'll find the time to deal with you later, and if I have to chain you to a wall to stop you earning any further punishments before you've worked off the ones you've already accrued, I will. But for tonight, you'll have to be satisfied with the knowledge that after dinner, I am taking the lovely Princess Luna to my bed, and Trixie as well, and you don't get to come. In any sense of the word."

It was with tremendous satisfaction that Twilight noticed Celestia pout slightly. "You are so cruel, Empress," she murmured, adding lightly, "I understand that you will be busy. You have much else to worry about."

"Trying to bait me into changing my mind, Princess? For shame. When I'm kissing Luna's soft lips and stroking my naked body against hers, I'll spare a thought for you, sitting in your bedroom with a book to read, whiling away the hours." If any of the guards could read lips, Twilight thought wryly, they would be learning far more about their Princesses than they actually wanted to. "If I wasn't completely clear, Celestia, you're not to cum until I give you permission, too."

"You'll rub against Trixie too?" the showpony asked quickly, leaning closer to Twilight.

Twilight ruffled Trixie's mane affectionately. "Of course I will. I wouldn't leave my slutty and sensual slave out of this evening's playtime. You are very well behaved." Trixie's face lit up like a Hearth's Warming decoration, and Twilight tickled her under the chin, unable to keep a matching smile from her own face. Glancing back to Celestia, she added teasingly, "You do have wonderful lips for pouting, Celestia. I might have to find reasons for you to make that expression more often."

With a certain wry grace, Celestia conceded the ground. "As you wish, Twilight. I will see to the tidying up of your well intentioned preparations, and arrange the ceremonial dinner with Princess Ember. Consider it my sincere apology."

Twilight went to reach out for Celestia, intending to tenderly stroke the other mare's lips, then awkwardly changed the motion into a pat on the arm as she remembered where she was; in public, with an audience. Lowering her voice another notch, she replied fondly, "Apology accepted. I love you, Celestia. Your punishment stands, though. Thank you for taking care of the dinner, I'd really like to go back to work on controlling my spell energy if I won't be needed for a few hours."

"Is there anything you desire of me until this evening, Twilight?" Luna asked diffidently.

"Mm, absolutely! I'd be very grateful if you could join Trixie and I, Luna. You have a lot more practice controlling the levels of magic that an alicorn wields, you can help a lot. Besides," Twilight added warmly, "I'd like to spend more time in your company."

Luna blushed deeply, her cheeks colouring violet. "It would be my honour to assist thee in any way I can."

Twilight gently touched Trixie's arm, smiling from one mare to the other. "Then Trixie, Luna, please come with me. I want to get you both somewhere out of sight so I can work on my magic. And to kiss you. That's very important, too."

"The slutty and obedient Trixie gladly obeys, Mistress!"

"As does thy loyal servant. Wherever you wish me, I shall follow."

Canterlot's Great Hall was packed to the rafters. The most formal, elegant draperies had been put up for the occasion, bringing brilliant colour to the smooth white stone, and long trestle tables groaned with the weight of food and finery. Smaller tables were scattered around them like satellites, the elite of the elite holding court at each, revelling in the unexpected opportunity for a high-society occasion at the Castle so soon after the coronation. A raised dais dominated one end of the room, allowing all below to gaze up at the splendour of their three Princesses dining together, along with their exotic guest.

The bright lamplight sparkled off Ember's golden armour like a beacon, and picking at the platter of gems laid out before her, she tried not to let her shoulders hunch under the unfamiliar pressure of the stares. Set beside her on the table, a smooth, clamshell-shaped jewellery box of warm gold waited, containing Twilight's coronation gift. Speculation amongst the guests was already frenzied, anticipating the presentation.

These ponies were weird, and not what she'd expected.

As far as she knew - as far as anyone in the Dragon Lands had ever said in her hearing - ponies were feeble, silly little creatures that couldn't get anything done without at least five of them chipping in, probably singing nauseating songs about friendship while they did it. The collective noun for a group of ponies was a hug. They had no bold individual spirits, and if you separated them for more than five minutes, they'd start to cry and snivel. They clustered together in little villages of wood and kindling and pastel colours that wouldn't stand up to the average draconic sneeze.

Canterlot had been something of a shock. It was big, and occupied what would have been a glorious sunning ledge, most of the way up a high hill, overlooking wooded valleys. The city was almost all dressed stone, and while the castle looked pretty, and colourful, beneath all of that, it also looked strong.

"How are you finding Canterlot, Princess?"

Jerking slightly in surprise as Princess Twilight intruded on her thoughts, Ember hesitated. "Look, can we just skip the 'Princess' part for today? Otherwise I'll never stop saying it."

Celestia's glance flicked to Twilight, then back to Ember, her full lips quirked in amusement. "Of course, Ambassador. If that would make you more comfortable."

"Uh - yeah, let's leave off Ambassador, too," Ember replied, trying not to pull a face.

"Celestia," Twilight murmured reprovingly, giving the elder Princess a look.

The Sun Princess smiled, and ducked her head very slightly in acknowledgement of Twilight's chiding glance. "Of course, Ember."

"It's... different." Ember looked around herself at the soaring columns and arches. "I can't believe so many of you live all together like this. This would drive a dragon crazy. We don't build castles, or cities; it's all about territory. You find a place you like, claim it as your own, and if you're strong enough, other dragons leave you alone. There's nothing like - all this. All dragons owe fealty to the Dragon Lord, but past that, it's every dragon for themselves."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Twilight said apologetically. "I guess you're kind of uncomfortable with so many ponies in the room."

"Not at all! This is fine," Ember lied immediately. Not liking the stares was one thing, but being pitied by a pony? That was just ridiculous.

"I'm still not used to it," Twilight went on with a wry smile. "I live in a small village, most of the time, and I don't really know what to do when everypony keeps looking at me. I hope it'll get easier."

"I understand also," broke in Luna. "While I have more experience of the rigours of rulership than Twilight, the manner of my return left an impression that yet lingers."

Twilight reached to her left, taking Luna's hand in hers and squeezing it. Her eyes were warm with affection as she said more softly, "Everypony here thinks nothing but the best of you, Luna. We're all very happy to have our Princess of the Night back."

Ember picked up a goblet of wine - pretty good wine actually, these ponies could brew - and decided not to draw attention to the moment. Interesting, though. The way those two looked at each other - were they lovers? She hadn't heard anything like that on her way to Canterlot. Maybe they were trying to hide it, though if they were, they were doing a terrible job of it.

Her gaze drifted from Luna's flushed, happy face, and with an almost physical shock, ran straight into Celestia's eyes. The elder pony was looking at her directly, watching her react to the other two. Ember hastily broke eye contact, looking down at her plate, then felt a belated flush of frustrated embarrassment.

As hard as she was trying to ignore it, as infuriating as it was, Celestia was intimidating her. Every time the Sun Princess spoke, it seemed to push Ember just a little further off-balance, so smoothly and easily it was impossible to protest. There were rare dragons like that, the ones that viewed conversations as complex games rather than blunt instruments, and Celestia gave her just the same feeling of being out of her depth as she'd felt when talking to them. She hated that.

The pony she'd come here to check out, this Twilight, radiated raw, unfocused magic like a heat haze, and she didn't seem to even realise she was doing it. The Moon Princess had an aura of power that would have ensured her the right to make her territory anywhere she felt like. But Celestia... whatever power she held was hidden, withdrawn so perfectly it barely registered to Ember's senses at all. There was something really unsettling about that kind of restraint.

Twilight seemed to have torn herself away from staring fondly into Luna's eyes, and added as though the interlude had never happened, "I think what I'm trying to say is that we can all feel a little uncomfortable being the centre of attention, sometimes."

"How are you not used to that?" Ember asked, picking a bright red ruby from the bowl before her and crunching it satisfyingly between her teeth. "You've been Celestia's apprentice since you were barely more than an egg." ...not that ponies came from eggs, but whatever... "You've got to be used to ponies staring at you by now. There's statues of you, aren't there?"

Twilight's face coloured in embarrassment. "There aren't any statues of me," she replied with a trace of defensiveness. Then, as Celestia smiled to herself, Twilight's expression fell. "You're not serious."

"I'm afraid so. There is indeed a statue of you. And all your friends, of course. You look very heroic."

Twilight looked floored. "You're not talking about the stained glass windows?" She hesitated, searching Celestia's face for answers. "...oh. Really? Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I didn't wish to embarrass you. So I had it placed at the centre of the hedge maze. What better reward for showing the intellect and spirit of exploration to conquer the maze than a depiction of Equestria's heroic Bearers of the Elements? There is a plaque to that effect."

"Celestia." Twilight turned to Luna, and asked in exasperation, "Luna, is this statue really there?"

"Yes, Twilight, it is. You will find it easier to locate now that you can fly over the maze - I will help you, if you wish."

Twilight buried her face in her hands with an audible groan.

Ember crunched another gemstone between her teeth, her red eyes narrowing with interest. Just who was in charge here, anyway? They might all call themselves Princesses, but there could only be one Queen, or there'd be chaos. That's the way rulership worked. The natural fit for the role was Celestia. She had an air of effortless command, no matter how gentle her tone, one that the ponies clearly couldn't help but respond to. She was intelligent, and even kind of intimidating, the pony that other ponies looked to for answers. And yet...

And yet, there was something else going on here. The connection between Twilight and Luna was obvious, but that didn't necessarily mean anything about who was in charge. What was more interesting was the way Twilight talked to Celestia - scolding her, if lightly. In some way she couldn't quite put a talon on, Twilight had the upper hand here. That made it more important than ever to understand what kind of a pony this Twilight was.

As Twilight shook her head in exasperation and dug into her food as though she had a grudge against it, Celestia returned to Ember's original question. "Twilight has never made a point of flaunting her status. In Ponyville, she has managed the difficult trick of letting others forget her importance to Equestria, as have her friends. It's only now that she has become an alicorn that her rank has become impossible for others to overlook."

"Huh. I see." Ember frowned at her gems again, fiddling with an emerald thoughtfully. Again with this weird idea of hiding your strength from others.

"I would imagine that being the daughter of the Dragon Lord has garnered you much attention in your own lands," Luna added politely.

"Yes. Daughter of the Dragon Lord," Ember repeated, nodding. Then, after a moment, she shrugged, and added, "Well, no, not really. Like I said, we don't get together in big numbers all that often, and when we do, he's the one that everyone's looking at."

Without really noticing it, Ember had cleared her bowl of gemstones. Pairs of ponies in castle livery moved through the throng below, laying down trays heaped with intricate desserts. Two approached to the high table, both bowing their heads to her. "Princess Ember, Ambassador. May we bring your dessert?"

"Uh - yeah, sure," Ember said uncomfortably. Her gaze slid away, moving over the busy room's bustling servants, powerfully armoured guards and brightly-dressed nobles. There was something about this whole setup that was bothering her. It wasn't what she was used to, but at the same time, there was something weirdly familiar about it, like she'd seen it before.

They were like - she paused as she reached out towards the towering confection that was apparently her dessert - like a hive. Like insects. This huge place, filled with ponies that were there to protect and serve the queen of the hive, ponies that were disciplined and rigid and efficient, putting her comfort and survival over their own... it just wasn't how dragons worked. It was kind of spooky, seeing it all in motion.

What could she learn from that? The older dragons could be capable of tremendous things if they worked together. The problem was persuading any of them to cooperate; they'd wander off if they got bored, and when she tried to picture several of them working to a design someone else had come up with, the image simply failed to come.

Dragons didn't work together, dragons didn't share territory, dragons didn't make friends. 'Friendship' was for those too weak to do anything by themselves.

Except... the chattering ponies out there, they weren't strong, but put them together, and you got Canterlot, which was. Then just when you'd gotten used to that concept, started to try to put together the idea that there was a kind of strong that came from putting lots of feeble little parts together, you came up against ponies like these Princesses.

They weren't feeble.

"Would you like to present Twilight with your gift after dessert?" Celestia asked, with a look of mild interest.

Trying to ignore the unnerving feeling that her thoughts were inscribed on her forehead, Ember nodded. "Sure."

"I'm really thankful that you came all this way to meet me," Twilight told Ember warmly. "I'm ever so curious about what you've brought with you."

"Yes, I'm curious about what you've brought from Dragon Lord Torch's hoard as well," contributed Celestia.

The colour of Ember's crest darkened slightly. Did Celestia know she'd taken something without permission? How? She pushed the thought away, chiding herself for letting the white pony spook her into becoming paranoid, and focused on Twilight and Luna instead, trying to keep up the chitchat these ponies apparently considered an integral part of eating. It was honestly a relief when the dessert course ended, and Celestia rose to announce the presentation of the gift from the Dragon Lands.

Ember pushed back her chair and rose, picking up the golden clamshell. It matched her armour, and was itself a rather handsome gift that Torch was probably going to be pretty cross about when he found it gone. Twilight had also risen to stand at the forefront of the dais, and the massed gazes of the hall were fixed upon the two of them. There was a vast silence of anticipation.

"Princess Twilight," began Ember formally, raising her voice to echo throughout the hall, "in the name of Dragon Lord Torch, Lord of all Dragons, ruler of our people, I come to you to bring a token of our regard. From the hoard of my father, I offer you this gift. May it always remind you of the link between your people, and ours."

In other words, thought Ember, as she carefully manipulated the lock of the golden clamshell, we're watching you, Princess, and don't you forget it.

On her way to Canterlot, Ember had stopped now and then to see what more she could learn about this Twilight Sparkle. On the occasions that she could find ponies that didn't simply hide from her, the stories she'd picked up were worrying. Ember had already known that Twilight had cleansed a dark spirit and turned her back into Celestia's sister. She hadn't heard that a single unicorn had created a shield powerful enough to repel an entire changeling army, for days, and that unicorn happened to be Twilight's brother. Then there were the confused stories about Twilight defeating some kind of powerful trickster spirit...

Clearly, Twilight was heir to a family whose blood bore appallingly powerful magic, and that was before she'd ascended. Now she was an aspect, claiming the entire realm of magic as her personal domain. Even if her father grumbled about her determination to travel to Canterlot, and everyone else she'd spoken to in the Dragon Lands thought she was wasting her time, Ember had the imagination to be deeply alarmed by a development like that.

The clamshell's lock clicked, and the upper shell slowly and majestically rose. Within, sitting proudly upon the pearlescent pink silk lining, was a crown. It was an elegant, arched affair, constructed of gold and gleaming silver metals, almost unnaturally light. Pure white gemstones were set either side of the central arch, capturing the light and glittering like captive stars. It had belonged to Ember herself, though like the clamshell, her father wasn't going to like what she'd done with it.

A simultaneous gasp arose from the watching crowd, fading in a kind of communal sigh. Twilight gazed at the crown with wonder in her eyes, then looked up at Ember, her face glowing with wonder and delight. "Ember, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, then abruptly seemed to recall herself, and straightened her back, facing the assembled ponies squarely.

"Princess Ember, I gratefully accept your gift in the spirit of friendship that it was given, and thank you from the very bottom of my heart for travelling so far to be here. It is my earnest hope that this moment marks a new era of friendship between our people, bringing us closer together. There's so much we can learn. The most important lesson I've ever learned is that we're all different, and embracing the things that make each other different makes us stronger. I will treasure it, always."

Ember's smile became a shade awkward as she nodded in agreement, her red eyes searching Twilight's face. Was it possible that...

...yes, Twilight had totally, utterly missed the subtext. It was meant to be a warning! Subtle! Elegant! That was how the really smart dragons dealt with each other, with extravagant gifts and pointed undertones! Instead, Twilight had taken the entire thing at face value!

And she'd used 'friendship' twice in less than ten seconds, too. With total sincerity.

Ember fought the urge to cause a major diplomatic incident by burying her face in her hands.

Luna's soft murmur distracted her. The deep blue mare spoke out of the side of her mouth, without moving her lips, expression held in a regal pose of noble approval. "It would be appropriate for thee to place thy gift upon her, Ambassador."

Fighting the flush of embarrassment that darkened her crest - what kind of ruler didn't reach out for a crown and take it for themselves? - Ember nodded very slightly, and laid the golden clamshell in Luna's hands. Taking the crown in her talons, Ember raised it slightly, then glanced at Twilight. The Princess of Magic beamed at her brightly, and moved to stand in front of her, facing outwards towards the crowd.

She was crowning the Princess of Magic. It didn't matter that she'd already been crowned; now Ember, as a representative of Torch, was endorsing her position by doing the same. Scat. This wasn't the way this was meant to go at all, and she couldn't think of a way out of it. All she could do was act like this was what she'd intended all along, and make the best of it.

Spreading her wings wide, Ember raised the crown on high, letting the light flare through the embedded diamonds, then lowered it onto Twilight's head. The Princess's mane smelt of lilac, she noticed absently, her eyes on the crowd. At table after table, well-dressed ponies surged to their feet, bursting into a thunderous round of spontaneous applause. Ember stepped forward, standing beside Twilight, and Celestia and Luna moved up to take their places either side of them.

The reaction from the crowd was ecstatic. Ember's tail flicked.

From her position next to Ember, Celestia dipped her head slightly and murmured, "This marks the end of the formal dinner; we shall be withdrawing for the evening. If you'd like to rest, I will guide you to your rooms."

"Okay, sure," Ember replied with a trace of awkwardness, taking a step towards Celestia.

Twilight turned and reached out towards Ember, forestalling her. Her smile was radiant, and the crown atop her mane gleamed in the lamplight. "Ember, I just wanted to thank you so much again for this wonderful gift, and for coming all this way. I'm so excited that you're here! Do you think I could meet you tomorrow morning, so we can talk about your homelands some more?"

"...you're welcome. Come and find me, and we'll talk." Ember searched Twilight's face for any sign whatsoever that she wasn't being as blithely innocent as she sounded, and turned up nothing.

"Have a nice night, Princess," Twilight told her warmly, and turned away. Luna followed her, cradling the golden clamshell, and the two disappeared through a draped archway on the far side of the dais.

"Please follow me, Ambassador," Celestia said softly over the renewed buzz of excited conversation. Ember followed her out of the hall into the sudden velvety hush of a deserted corridor. The thick rug was soft beneath her taloned feet. She took a deep breath, feeling as though a pressure had been lifted, and she could breathe easier once more.

Celestia smiled at her over her shoulder, and set off at a gentle walking pace, moving unhurriedly down the corridor. "Thank you for coming, Ember. I've always had a good relationship with your father. I hope you and Twilight can share one as well."

Ember had to be careful here. Celestia's every word seemed to have layers of meaning and allusion, and she had to think them through before she reacted. "Twilight seems really enthusiastic about my visit," Ember allowed.

"She is. That is completely sincere. I want you to know nothing she said this evening was just for the sake of diplomacy. It would make her very happy to be friends with you, and your people."

There had been the ghost of emphasis on 'your people', as though they belonged to her. What was Celestia implying? Ember gazed at the back of her head, obscured by the flowing curtain of her mane. "I'm here on behalf of my father," she observed.

"Yes. He leads your people well. He's surprisingly good natured, when you get past the tendency to bellow." Celestia gave a small, fond laugh, briefly covering her lips with a slim hand. "But one day, he will step aside, and then, Princess Ember, I look forward to your own elevation."

Ember's scales prickled as Celestia so casually gave voice to her most secret desire. "It's not like I'd be made Dragon Lord just because of my father," she said with a flash of defensiveness.

"Of course not. You'll do it because of who you are, Ember." Celestia paused, and glanced back at her, a smile on her lips. "I have complete faith in you."

Ember's jaw sagged open slightly. No one had ever told her they believed in her future as Dragon Lord. She'd never dared even give voice to the idea. To be endorsed by a ruler like this one... she couldn't help but feel buoyed up by it, even though she scolded herself not to get carried away.

"I'm flattered by your confidence," she said with extreme care.

"Your gift was a very lovely one. I'm glad that you're taking such an interest in Twilight's future," Celestia replied lightly. "I wanted you to know that I have been taking an interest in yours, as well."

There was no warning. Nothing visibly changed, and Celestia's gentle walking pace didn't alter. All the same, in that moment, some internal barrier was lowered. An aura of shocking power swelled out from the tall pony, striking Ember with the force of a tidal wave.

Ember stumbled, almost tripping over her own feet, wings flaring outwards to help catch her balance. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she jerked upright, ready to be attacked.

Nothing. Celestia's aura had vanished, disappearing once again behind walls of iron self-control, and she hadn't so much as looked back. All the same, Ember was abruptly certain that Celestia had been watching the entire thing, was watching her still, to see what she'd do now.

Her instincts urged her to be angry. Celestia had challenged her. But if she tried to do anything about it, she'd look foolish, and she refused to have this pony look down on her. "At least you understood the crown," she said instead. That was good. Acknowledge the message without reacting to it. "I'm pretty sure that went straight past Twilight. She's such an innocent."

Now Celestia did glance around, her full lips curved in an ambiguous smile. "Does she seem that way?" Turning a corner, she paused in front of a door and added lightly, "Your room. I hope you enjoy your stay in Canterlot."

"Yes, I do too," replied Ember quickly, moving to the door. "Goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight, Ember."

Slipping into her room, Ember closed the door behind her and flattened herself against it, her heart beating rapidly. She pressed her ear to the door, angling her horned head, but she couldn't hear a sound as Celestia presumably walked away.

Okay. So that was the public face of Twilight Sparkle, not to mention Luna as well. Now it was time to see what they really thought, and the quicker she got to it, the better chance she had of finding out something important.

Her father had warned her, after forbidding her from going, and amongst the muttering that she'd be wasting her time, that she was likely to be spied on if she stayed in the castle. That there were secret passages to the guest rooms, behind the walls. He'd seemed oddly pleased with himself when relating the titbit, one of Celestia's secrets. How he'd found out, she hadn't asked. What mattered was that spying went both ways.

Somewhere in this room, if he was right, there was a secret door.

Stupid ponies and their stupid secret catches. How well hidden could you make something that had to be pushed with hooves, anyway?

Ember groped up and down the wall, tweaking decorative woodwork and pressing her claws into engraved indentations, trying to find anything that moved or clicked. Her armour lay in a golden pile, put aside for fear a metallic scrape might give her away, in preparation for sneaking silently through the tunnels that she was coming to believe simply didn't exist. At least it was good to feel the cool air against her body again. The pony obsession with covering themselves was one thing she didn't intend to learn from.

She'd been at it for a while, becoming increasingly disillusioned over the idea of there being anything secretive about the room after all. If anything kept her going - aside from her stubbornness, which was a force of nature in itself - it was the ghost of air movement around a slender section of panels. It could be a door. It could also be a subtly ill-fitted section of woodwork onto an old chimney, or any of a dozen other possibilities. It was so slight that finding it had taken her a solid hour of sniffing around, and even now, she wasn't certain she wasn't simply fooling herself.

At least if there weren't really any spy tunnels, she wasn't making herself seem like a fool in front of anyone. She'd had quite enough of that feeling for one day.

A decorative engraving shifted subtly under the pressure of her talon.

Ah.

Nothing immediately happened, but that was fine. She spread her arms, trying to guess at the reach of the average pony. If you assumed the catch couldn't be triggered accidentally, by a careless press of a duster, say, then you'd have two catches that had to be released at the same time. They'd be as far apart as possible, but still within reach of a single pony. So that meant it would be about a pony arm span to the left or right of the catch she'd found...

Another click came from under her probing fingers. She grinned, her muzzle parting slightly, and pushed firmly. The panel before her swung in soundlessly, revealing a narrow stretch of empty grey corridor. Very dim lights gleamed in the distance.

Ember hesitated for a moment, her body tingling with nervous anticipation. If she got caught, it was going to be very hard to explain. But having found the entrance, the thought of not going in was just... intolerable. Ears pricked for the sound of hooffalls - whatever pony had been assigned to spy on her could be coming to take up their post - she crept into the corridor, pushing the door shut behind her.

Careful questioning of the overawed, slightly terrified pony that had come to summon her to dinner had told her that Twilight's suites were this way, down a level, and to the west. It would be easy to lose her way in the darkness, but her sense of direction had always been strong. She just had to keep her head.

Still, perhaps she was heading for the wrong destination. Twilight had the potential to wield some dangerous magic, but she really couldn't have been more gushingly harmless. Perhaps it was Celestia's rooms she should really be trying to find. But it was Twilight's ascension, her claim to all magic, that had made Ember nervous in the first place.

Besides, she didn't know which way to go to find Celestia's apartments, so that settled that.

Still, that aura...

Of course, an elder dragon could conquer the country in a week, if they could be bothered. That was practically an article of faith in the Dragon Lands. It would just be a hassle, which was why no one had done it yet.
It was easy to grow confused in the endless warren of narrow grey corridors, but there was a hint of use about this one. The stillness of the air helped scents remain, still tangible even after they'd mingled and spread out almost to nothing. Ponies had passed this way, not too many days ago.

She pursued the subtle disturbances in the air down a tightly spiralling staircase, and followed them down a corridor, seeing more with her nose than her eyes. It took a few moments for the dim, echoey sounds to intrude on her concentration.

Voices. Ember's heart lurched in her chest - she wasn't exactly used to sneaking around. Dragons didn't sneak. There seemed to be a lot of things dragons didn't do, now that she thought about it. Putting that aside for later, she slowed to a tiptoe, and crept towards the end of the corridor. Faint hints of light filtered into the gloom.

That was definitely Twilight's voice. Okay, that meant she wouldn't have the opportunity to rifle through any parchments she'd left lying around, but it was still an invaluable chance to learn what she was like when she wasn't hiding behind a public facade. After the dinner together, she was probably discussing Ember at this very moment! ...unfortunately, the sound was muffled, and she couldn't see anything. A brass plate had been fixed over the spot where the sound and light was coming from, no doubt to make it harder to spy on this particular set of rooms. Very sensible.

Just not enough to stop Ember.

Easing her talons into the gap between the stone and the plate, she pulled. The plate was anchored by four metal spikes driven into the gaps between stones, quite solid, but within the range of Ember's strength. With a soft, feminine grunt, she managed to pry one corner loose, then another. The last two slid out with almost disappointing ease, and Ember had to duck quickly to avoid dropping the plate entirely.

Where the plate had been was an oval opening through the wall onto a sheet of glass - likely the back of a two way mirror. Sounds filtered through clearly. Heart hammering, she stepped closer to the wall and peered out, her slit pupils contracting under the sudden influx of light.

"...what the brimstone," she breathed.

Silently, an alarm went off in Twilight's head. The spell she'd laid on the blocking plate had been a pretty good one; another example of the massively over-layered spell constructs she'd been working with to manage her power overflow. There were triggers for touching it, triggers for moving it, triggers for spells that disarmed alarm spells, triggers for spells that specifically tried to dispel spells that triggered when dispels were cast - by the time she'd finished gluing every spell she and Trixie could find together, it was close to impossible to unpick it without triggering something. Now, somepony had set it off.

Twilight smiled to herself, only just stopping herself from looking directly at the mirror or shaking her head in amusement. She was going to have to dock Celestia several points for being caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She should open up the passageway right away and send her back to her own room, where she'd been ordered to stay. Still... knowing that her perverted mentor was there behind the mirror, settling down to begin masturbating with voyeuristic pleasure...

Maybe she could let Celestia watch, this time.

With lovingly precise cruelty, Twilight's crop smacked Luna's rigid nipple, making her breast jiggle under the blow. A sharp gasp escaped the Lunar Princess's lips.

"Shhh, Luna," Twilight murmured affectionately. "You can bear it. That's right. Good."

It had been impossible to have the workshops of the castle turn out the particular piece of equipment she needed. She'd managed to explain away some things that were intended for her personal erotic use, describing them as experimental equipment, teaching tools, and other paraphernalia. Several lengths of rope and chain, for instance, had come innocently enough from the castle stores, and she anticipated getting more in future from the same place. But some things needed to be made for a purpose.

The fruit of her very careful, discreet inquiries stood before her. A huge metal X leant against the wall at a slight angle from the vertical, anchored by bolts sunk into the stone at the upper tip of each arm. Short lengths of chain led from the ends, leading to stout, thick leather cuffs strong enough to withstand an almost terrifying amount of physical strength. The whole thing was painted a stark red, and Luna was manacled spread-eagled to it, legs wide and arms over her head, a ring upon her horn, completely nude.

The Princess's breasts heaved with her breath, her generous curves and perfect proportions making her into a depraved work of art. Her breasts were marked with hints of deeper purple where the tip of the crop had tenderly darkened the skin, and her nipples jutted starkly under the abuse. A blindfold covered her eyes, and a subtle creamy trickle marked one thigh.

"She looks so pretty when you beat her, Mistress. The slutty and sensual Trixie just adores the sounds she makes."

Trixie lay sprawled on the bed, head propped up against a few pillows, slowly pumping a toy shaft in and out of her pussy. Her free hand slid over her breasts, squeezing and kneading. "Mmmhf... your slutty fucktoy Trixie never thought she'd get to see Princess Luna like this, not even in her favourite revenge fantasies. It was worth being enslaved for this alone."

A quavering tone in her voice, Luna panted, "Whilst I regret thy incarceration in the forest, it was necessary for-"

Twilight placed a finger against Luna's lips, then leaned up and kissed her cheek. "No. This isn't about that. This is you, bound, exposed, completely helpless, feeling eyes on your body and knowing there is absolutely nothing you can do about it... while I beat you. Spank you. Make you cum all over my hand. Or, if you're really lucky... my tongue."

Luna whined deep in her throat, and her body jerked, straining against the chains. The metal cross creaked. "Please! Please, my Mistress, I cannot endure much more of thy teasing. You must touch me!"

"Oh, Luna. There's still a little slack in your chains, isn't there? Let me fix that." Twilight gripped a small handle on the side of the X, and turned it a three-quarter rotation. A ratchet click-clicked within the metal, and the chains withdrew a little further into the cross, stretching Luna's arms even higher over her head. Luna gasped, her head sinking back and her eyelids fluttering.

Rarity had provided a simply wonderful new outfit for Twilight during her time back in Ponyville, and it was her first time trying it out. A skimpy black thong separated her ass, showing off each soft globe to its best advantage, curling under her to split around her pussy in a 'V' that exposed her flushed, glistening folds. Fishnet stockings clung lovingly to her legs, terminating in lacy bands around each thigh, and modest high heels added a couple of inches to her height. A low-cut shelf bra lifted her breasts and put them on full display, showing off her stiff, excited nipples. Elbow length gloves matched her stockings, crafted from the same mesh, and a long, slim riding crop was poised in her fingers, a slender black tool capped with silver. She was every inch a fetish dream, and she knew it. The outfit gripped and squeezed her in unfamiliar ways, constantly reminding her of its presence. Just looking into the mirror had made her heart beat faster as she stared at the strange, sexual pony gazing imposingly back at her.

That was the pony that had calmly stripped Luna and fixed her to the cross. That was the pony that could tease and torment her, cropping and fingering her, until she panted roughly with her built up lust.

The crop cracked against the Princess's other breast, jerking a yelp from Luna's lips.

"You know, Luna, that sounded almost like a demand. I 'must' touch you?" Twilight purred dangerously.

Trixie gasped as she thrust her sextoy deeper into her glistening pussy, her hips bucking jerkily in time with the crack of Twilight's crop against her divine slave. "Yes! Punish her, Mistress! Show her that you own her!"

Luna's lower lip trembled as she gasped for breath, and she nodded urgently. "Yes! Yes, Thy slave Trixie is right, I have spoken out of turn! I am thy property, I dare make no demand upon you! I deserve to be punished to the full extent of thy will!"

Twilight shivered, goosebumps breaking out down her arms at the desperate, almost delirious tone of surrender in Luna's voice. Sliding her finger into her mouth, feeling the texture of the fishnet mesh on her tongue, she wet it thoroughly before reaching out to the blindfolded pony. Her damp finger settled on one proud, stinging nipple, and began rubbing tenderly. Luna gasped, jerking in her chains and emitting a strangled whimper.

"I'm very proud of you, Luna," Twilight praised her, rubbing the individual strands of her mesh glove over Luna's nipple with torturous slowness. "That was exactly right. Although that didn't sound like something that a royal Princess would say..." Her voice trailed off suggestively, inviting Luna to fill the void.

"I am no Princess!" Luna blurted at once, arching her back to try to push her breasts against Twilight's teasing fingers. Her hips jerked, a fresh trickle of wetness inching down her thigh. "I am thy personal concubine, an enslaved plaything for your most carnal desires! My breasts are thy property to whip and abuse any way you wish! My heated slit yours for the taking, to use and fill at thy whim!"

Twilight's thighs squeezed together, her free hand sliding down her own body to gently tease her pussy. It was so delicious when Luna slipped into archaic Equestrian. It made her sound noble, like an ancient knight, which contrasted so beautifully with the words she was speaking... yes, let Celestia watch. The tip of the crop trailed down Luna's cleavage, descending leisurely to rest lightly against the tall mare's cunt. Twilight flicked her fingers and the crop lightly smacked against the incredibly tender folds, wrenching another whimpering moan from Luna's lips.

"That certainly sounded sincere... what do you think, Trixie? Does she look sincere to you? Do you think this depraved, slutty pony really believes what she's saying?" Trixie had a vital role in the scene. If it had been only Luna and Twilight, Luna would have abandoned herself completely long before, forgetting all shame in her desperation to serve. But with an audience, Luna was repeatedly reminded of her humiliation, making her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Each time Twilight called on Trixie, the burning blush on Luna's cheeks deepened.

"Haah... Trixie, mmmh, Trixie isn't sure, Mistress," Trixie lied playfully, then gasped as she went on uncontrollably, "She's a lying, slutty, no-good bitch, mistress, spank her ass!" Her cheeks darkening in embarrassment of her own, she rolled onto her stomach and thrust her ass into the air, without stopping or even hesitating in plunging the dildo in and out of her pussy. "Okay, fine, the slutty and submissive Trixie is sure, but wouldn't it be nice - ow! The crop, Mistress? What did Trixie's perfect blue ass do to deserve that? - wouldn't it be nice if we brought in some of your guards to be sure?"

"N-no!" gasped Luna, straining against the chains again. "Not that! You would not expose me thusly!"

"That's an interesting idea, Trixie. Did you have any one of the guards in mind?"

Settling onto her back again so she could watch Luna's face, Trixie breathed hotly, "Wouldn't it be interesting to bring in that bat-pony, Obscura? She knows Luna best."

Twilight giggled. "You really have a talent for being mean, Trixie."

"Mistress," Luna begged, "surely you wouldst not do such a thing!"

"But if I did? If I chose to let one of my guards see you as the obedient, devoted fucktoy you really are, would you deny me?" Twilight purred.

Luna's jaw tensed, and she closed her eyes, her head tilting to the side as she struggled with herself. Twilight watched with fascination, her eyes alight, lazily rubbing two fingers up and down her own pussy.

Finally, Luna shook her head. "...no," she breathed, "I would obey thy command."

"So what would happen," Twilight murmured huskily as she leaned closer, "if I told you I was going to go and fetch Obscura right now?"

"I would be displayed!" gasped Luna, her body relaxing as she gave in fully. "I would perform before anypony you wished as thy shameless fucktoy-"

She didn't get to finish the sentence. With a wicked grin on her lips, Twilight reversed the crop in her hand, and slid the handle into Luna's dripping pussy. Luna's body bucked hard, her head snapping back."Ooohff! Yes! Yes, fuck my pussy, Mistress, please, please, fuck me, fuck my slutty cunt, Mistress, I love thee, I love thee, fuck me!" she cried out deliriously.

What.

What the-

What.

This was the wide-eyed Princess Twilight? This was not the kind of friendship Ember had been led to expect.

Pressed close to the mirror glass, her head turned to avoid fogging it with her heavy breaths, she watched with disbelieving, avid eyes as the Princess of Magic rammed a riding crop, handle first, into the Princess of the Moon's pussy. Her own body throbbed in sympathetic arousal as Luna threw back her head, gasping obscenity filled vows of obedience and love and desperate need. Her own body felt hot and tight, as though each breath was being squeezed out of her lungs.

This just couldn't be true. She couldn't be watching innocent, pastel ponies carrying out some kind of ritual of depraved sexual domination. If it had been gryphons, maybe she could have believed it, but this?

Ember watched hungrily as a bead of sweat rolled down Luna's forehead and over the smooth, slick blackness of her blindfold, flicked off by the next short, sharp jerk of her head. Twilight's hand was kneading and teasing one of her captive's proud breasts, and without really thinking about it, Ember's right hand slid up her own body in mimicry of it, trying to capture the same feeling. Her talons caught one of her aqua-blue nipples and pinched, guided by Twilight's example. Ember gasped softly.

There had to be things she could learn from this. That was why she was watching this so eagerly. The idea of being turned on by these soft, silly creatures, that was ridiculous. It was just - hard to concentrate.

"You're my obedient fuck pony." Twilight's words filtered through the mirror, lust riding her words. No, Ember corrected herself, more than lust. Certainty. Luna really was under her control, and Twilight was certain of it. All the ambiguous, subtle tensions of the dinner were being played out again, larger and bolder. The apprentice, Trixie, had not been looking at Luna enviously, or even in awe, as many of the dinner guests had been. She had been looking at her jealously, as a rival for Twilight's affections.

Ember breathed a shivery sigh as her talons raked softly across her stomach, mimicking Twilight dragging her nails across Luna's body. If this scene conveyed anything other than lust, it almost certainly meant Luna was truly in Twilight's power. Then there'd been all those little glances from Celestia during the dinner, as if seeking Twilight's permission to make decisions. Ember simply couldn't imagine how such a thing could be possible, but if her suspicions were correct, it would make Twilight the first new ruler Equestria had had in millennia.

That was ridiculous. Twilight had only been an alicorn for a span of a few short weeks; she couldn't have silently conquered the country.

An especially loud gasp drew Ember's thoughts back to the one-way mirror.

"It stings," gasped Luna, her chest heaving. "Mistress."

Twilight giggled. Her free hand drew back once again and landed a cracking spank across Luna's breast, never pausing in the firm movement of the crop handle back and forth in her captive's pussy. Speaking with genuine tenderness, she breathed, "But you can take it, can't you Luna? You're a strong, noble pony. This kind of thing is nothing. Aside from the fact that you're being watched. Eyes lingering on your slick, wet folds leaking all over my nice clean crop... watching those big, soft tits bounce every time you struggle in your chains. My beautiful slave Luna, a molten, fuckable sex toy."

Luna's eyes squeezed closed, and she whimpered aloud. Every degrading word visibly hit home, her hips bucking helplessly against the crop, cheeks dark with humiliation and lust. "Y-yes, Mistress! Any abuse you wish to lay upon me, I shall bear it! I am - I am thy fuckable sex toy! I am watched, and witnessed, and I care not! Do not stop fucking me, Mistress! I beg of thee, I will accept any punishment you desire, but please!"

A tingle ran down Twilight's back at the strength of desperation in Luna's voice, and she felt her nipples stiffen even more, standing out from her smooth breasts. Slinking a step closer, she purred, "Oh, Luna. I love what you've become. I love every inch of your beautiful, dark body. So refined. So strong. So hot, and needy. If anypony knew what I had with you... if they knew the things I get to see... they would be speechless with envy. Almost every pony in Equestria would give their manes to be here, kissing you, touching you... owning you."

Twilight slowly sank to her knees, gazing up the length of Luna's body to the Princess's blindfolded face, her hand still slowly pushing the crop handle in and out of her glistening cunt. "I love you. I'm never, ever letting you go..." Lowering her head, Twilight pressed her soft lips to the top of Luna's slit and began to lap, shivering as she tasted the tangy excitement of the other mare and delighting in the fresh moan that it urged from Luna.

Luna's powerful thighs tensed hard as Twilight's tongue brushed her tender folds, the steel cross groaning softly under the strain of restraining her. "Yes, yes," she gasped in delirious surrender, "I love thee, Mistress, I will protect thee and fight for thee, I will give of my all, my Owner, my love, please, please, yes..."

"I love you too!" blurted Trixie from behind Twilight, her voice rising and falling in rhythm with the movement of the dildo that she fucked herself with. "The adoring and obedient slut Trixie loves her Mistress! Your pliant cunt wants nothing more than to serve you, Mistress! Anything you want!"

First person pronoun, Twilight noted. It was a little unfair to leave Trixie as just a spectator, especially when she'd been doing so well lately, and so Twilight leant forward and parted her legs, exposing the glorious sight of her bare cunt repeatedly revealed and hidden again by the excited swishing of her tail. Lifting her head from Luna's pussy, Twilight gasped, "Come down here and lick me, Trixie!"

"Yes, Mistress!" Trixie all-but hurled herself off the bed, the gleaming blue dildo buried in her cunt and parting her lower lips obscenely. Dropping onto her knees behind Twilight, her own ass rising into the air, Trixie wasted no time in burying her face between Twilight's thighs and beginning to lick with passionate urgency.

"Hhnng!" Twilight gasped as Trixie's tongue worked its way into her, momentarily forgetting to keep the crop moving. Her tail flicked high, moving out of the way, and she let her hips grind back against the showpony's face as she redoubled her assault on Luna's cunt. Her tongue probed down to where the crop handle slid slickly in and out of the Princess's glistening folds, lapping up some of her wetness and feeling the gleaming slickness coat her face. Sex felt so good! Why had nopony ever told her it would feel so good?

Burying her head between her slave's thighs, wriggling back against Trixie's eager mouth, Twilight gave herself over to pleasure.

"Hhaah... haaah..." panted Ember, her breath steaming in the cool, still air. Her crest was flushed dark blue, her knees weak, and her tail lashed back and forth across the flagstones as she urgently touched herself. Leaning against the wall, she twisted and tugged her jutting nipples with one hand while the other ground roughly up and down her pussy. Slick wetness coated her fingers, and her eyes were fogged with lust.

"Yesss..." she hissed under her breath, watching with hungry craving. Shivers of desire wracked her body, prickling her scales. "Fuck her."

It didn't make sense. Obviously Twilight was forcing them to do this. Obviously she had the power to make them do what she wanted, and she was using it. That made Twilight much more dangerous than Ember had imagined. But they were adoring her, and Twilight seemed to be coaxing and supporting them, even as she beat and humiliated them. It didn't make sense. Ember couldn't think straight, and didn't really want to anymore. Later, she'd go over all of this, and think through what it meant. That's why she was here, to learn, and she was learning a lot. But for now, all she wanted - all she could do - was experience.

Their moans were rising to fever pitch, and Ember's talons moved more roughly against her scales, pushing herself towards orgasm with them.

Luna's high pitched, gasping moans urged Twilight to ever rougher strokes with the crop, her tongue prying and flicking into the other mare's glistening pussy with single-minded obsession. She was determined that she was going to make Luna cum before she herself did, but Trixie really, really wasn't making that easy. The knowledge that Celestia was watching all of it only made it hotter.

Some dark, proud corner of Twilight wanted Celestia to see Luna cum. Let her see how Luna begged and writhed at Twilight's command, let Celestia see her sister arch in orgasmic release under Twilight's tongue; that little bit of herself hadn't forgiven Celestia for trying to take Luna away, and wanted to rub it in the elder mare's face. It wasn't a noble thought, and she was barely even conscious of it, but it was there.

And it helped her hold on just long enough. A fresh flow of wetness smeared Twilight's chin and lips as her captive demigoddess bucked violently, filling the room with her inarticulate cries of release. Chains rattled against the crimson steel Luna was bound to, and her mane and tail billowed out, painting the wall with stars and nebulae. Twilight relaxed, and almost instantly was driven over the edge by Trixie's urgent tongue and prying fingers.

Her eyes slammed shut, and her own gasps of pleasure were muffled by Luna's body. Stars burst before her eyes in the crimson darkness, and she felt the crop slip loose and impact the floor. Sweat coated her body, dampening her mane and tail. The urge to simply let herself collapse to the floor and let Trixie ease her onto the bed was intense.

However, that would give Celestia all the time she needed to slip away and deny she'd ever been there. Which was simply unacceptable.

On all fours, gasping raggedly for breath and tasting Luna's precious wetness on her tongue, Twilight focused on the secret door behind her. Exercising delicacy with intense effort, the twin trigger points in the decorative moulding began to shimmer with a sparkle of telekinetic magic, and pressed inwards. One final sharp pull, the strength of her magic more careless, and the hidden door spilled wide open.

Twilight giggled breathily as she heard a throaty gasp of surprise, and the thump of somepony toppling over. Pushing herself to her feet with deliberate effort, she heard Trixie gasp in shock, and grinned to herself with satisfaction. Plainly she hadn't realised she wasn't the only audience watching Twilight fuck and abuse Luna's perfect body. "You should have been in your room, Princess," Twilight said aloud, a wicked smile tugging her glistening lips, "but you sneaked down here to play with yourself, watching us. That was very naughty. I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you."

She turned.

Princess Ember, envoy of the Dragon Lord, was picking herself off the floor. Naked. She was naked, and her thighs were glistening with the wetness leaking from her pussy, and her wide nipples jutted, dark and stiff, and a deep, deep blush of shocked embarrassment coloured her face.

"I - I didn't mean to-" Ember stammered, then visibly pulled herself together. Straightening, she drew herself up formally, and managed in a more composed voice, "I've abused your hospitality. I understand."

It was a close run thing, but Twilight managed not to faint.

Author's Notes:

I try to stick to being compatible with canon as much as possible, aside from the divergence of events caused by the charm itself. But Ember's presence can't be explained by the charm directly. So what's she doing here?

I envisage that in the canon continuity, Ember heard about a new Princess of Friendship, rolled her eyes, and ignored it. In this story, of course, a Princess of Magic seems far more likely to cause trouble down the line.

-
I was encouraged to include Ember by an inspiration image sent to me by Grogar, and a further suggestion by DbzOrDie helped me figure out how to get her to Canterlot.

Proof reading and suggestions by Djmill and DbzOrDie